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Monster Cookies are big, chewy, bakery-style cookies filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and colorful M&Ms. They’re soft in the middle, a little crisp on the edges, and loaded with mix-ins in every bite.
What happens when you combine chocolate chip cookies, M&M cookies, peanut butter cookies, and oatmeal cookies? You get monster cookies! These thick, chewy cookies feature a little bit of everything and have been a long-time favorite. They’re fun to customize with candy eyes for Halloween or switch to red and green M&Ms for Christmas, but we love them year-round.
If you love monster cookies as much as we do, be sure to check out my monster cookie poke cake and no-bake monster cookie bars too.
Why This Monster Cookie Recipe Is So Good
- Bakery-style. These cookies are made with 3 tablespoons of dough each, making them monster-sized versions of regular cookies, and extra M&Ms and chocolate chips are pressed on top after baking. This gives them the fancy bakery-style appearance.
- Thick & chewy. The dough doesn’t spread a ton during baking, which means that not only are these cookies extra big, they stay nice and thick too, with a chewy texture.
- Loaded with mix-ins. Monster cookies feature a little bit of everything – M&Ms, chocolate chips, oats, AND peanut butter. They’re truly the best of all cookie worlds.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s an overview of each ingredient used in this cookie recipe. Scroll down to the recipe card below for the exact measurements.
- All-purpose flour – Spoon it into the measuring cup then level it off for accurate measuring.
- Baking soda & baking powder – The leavening agents work together to achieve the chewy texture and just a bit of rise in the oven.
- Salt – Helps to balance out all of the sweet flavors in the cookies.
- Unsalted butter – Since we’re adding salt separately, it’s important to use unsalted butter. It should be softened but not melted.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar and light brown sugar sweeten the cookies. The brown sugar adds to the chewy texture and sweet flavor.
- Large eggs – Bring them to room temperature ahead of time so they easily mix in with the dough.
- Creamy peanut butter – It’s best to use a creamy no-stir peanut butter like Jif or Skippy. Natural peanut butter separates and has more oil, which makes the dough greasy and causes cookies to spread too much.
- Vanilla extract
- Old-fashioned rolled oats – Old-fashioned rolled oats give that hearty chew that monster cookies are known for. While they can be used, quick oats make the cookies softer and less chewy because they break down more.
- Semi-sweet chocolate chips – I also like to add more on top of the cookie dough balls.
- M&Ms – I like to use mini M&Ms. Minis distribute more evenly through the dough, but regular M&Ms give big colorful pops.
How To Make Monster Cookies
These cookies are so fun and easy to make. Enjoy freshly baked cookies in just 30 minutes! The printable instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Prep. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Make the dough. Whisk together the dry ingredients. In another bowl, beat the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes, until creamy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the peanut butter and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed until just combined. Stir in the oats and one cup each of chocolate chips and M&Ms.
- Chill (if needed). If the dough doesn’t hold a ball well, place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Scoop & bake. Scoop balls of dough, about 3 tablespoons each, and place them 2-3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 13-15 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers remain slightly soft.
- Add more chocolate chips. As soon as the cookies are removed from the oven, press extra chocolate chips and M&Ms on top.
- Cool. Let the monster cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Add A Halloween Twist
I make these monster cookies year-round but I love to make them around Halloween with a twist – I add candy eyes to make them look like little monsters. Just press the eyes into the cookie after baking, when you’d add the extra chocolate chips.
Feel free to play around with other seasonal customizations too, like using red and green M&Ms for Christmas!
Tips & Tricks
Here are a few tips and variations for making these epic monster cookies.
- Make them bakery-style. Pressing extra M&Ms and chocolate chips into the tops right after baking not only adds color, but also makes them look like the ones you see in bakeries.
- Chill if needed. Peanut butter and butter can make the dough looser depending on your kitchen temperature. If the scooped dough doesn’t hold its shape, freeze it for 15 minutes or chill it for 30 before baking.
- Adjust the cookie size. For giant, bakery-style cookies, use a ¼ cup scoop instead of 3 tablespoons and add 1–2 minutes to the bake time. They’ll be huge, chewy, and perfect for gifting. For regular-sized cookies, scoop 1 ½ tablespoons of dough and bake 9–10 minutes. Just watch the bake time closely so they don’t overcook.
- Rotate pans. If you’re baking more than one tray at a time, switch the racks halfway through so the cookies bake evenly.
- Get perfectly round cookies. If any bake a little lopsided, use a round cookie cutter or glass to gently “scoot” them into shape while they’re still hot..
- Add sea salt. Sprinkle a tiny pinch of flaky sea salt on top right after baking. It makes the chocolate and peanut butter flavors pop.
- Make them extra chewy. Bump the brown sugar up by 2 extra tablespoons and slightly underbake them. Taking them out when the centers still look soft will keep them chewy once cooled.
- Double the recipe. This monster cookies recipe doubles well. Just use a very large mixing bowl or a stand mixer since the dough will be thick.
Proper Storage
- Room temperature. Keep cooled monster cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. To keep them softer longer, add a slice of bread to the container — the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread.
- Freezer (baked cookies). Once cooled, place cookies in a freezer-safe container with parchment between layers. Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in the microwave before serving.
- Freezer (dough). Scoop the dough into balls, freeze them on a baking sheet until solid, then store in a freezer bag. Bake from frozen, adding 2–3 minutes to the bake time.
Monster Cookies
Monster Cookies are big, chewy, bakery-style cookies filled with peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and colorful M&Ms. They’re soft in the middle, a little crisp on the edges, and loaded with mix-ins in every bite.
Servings: 25 large cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour spooned & leveled
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups creamy peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips plus ½ cup for topping
- 1 cup mini M&Ms plus ½ cup for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until creamy, about 2 minutes.
- Mix in the eggs one at a time, then beat in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.
- Stir in oats, 1 cup of chocolate chips, and 1 cup of M&Ms with a spatula. The dough will be thick but should hold its shape.
- If the dough feels very soft and doesn’t hold a ball well, place the bowl in the freezer for 15 minutes before scooping.
- Scoop large balls of dough (about 3 tablespoons each) and place them 2–3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 13-15 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
- Remove from oven and immediately press the extra chocolate chips and M&Ms on top for that bakery-style look.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Nutrition
Calories: 343kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 207mg | Potassium: 181mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 268IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg
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2 comments on “Monster Cookies”
They call this the monster cookie for a reason, Monsterly Delicious!!! I had to stop myself from eating the whole batch lol!
Ha! Thanks Kedrick!